Articles Posted in Misdiagnosis

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William Herring, 59, had a history of severe coronary artery disease. Complaining of chest pain, Herring was seen by his internist, Wayne Blake, M.D. Herring said his chest pain was relieved by belching.

At the doctor’s office, an electrocardiogram was done, which showed that Herring had normal rhythms. Dr. Blake prescribed a heartburn relief medicine and also recommended that Herring undergo a chemical stress test within the next month.

Less than four hours after leaving Dr. Blake’s office, Herring suffered a severe irregular heartbeat episode and then a fatal cardiac arrest. He is survived by his wife and three children.

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Tracy Spevak had undergone a LASIK surgery on her right eye once before. However, in January 2007, the defendant ophthalmologist did a LASIK surgery to attempt to enhance vision in Tracy’s right eye. During the surgery, Dr. Mark Golden, the defendant ophthalmologist, chose to re-cut the original LASIK flap, causing complications which necessitated additional surgeries on that eye.

Tracy now has permanent scar tissue in the central portion of her right eye. She has impaired vision, resulting in a kaleidoscope vision of lights at night, nausea, vertigo and migraine headaches. Her past medical bills totaled $8,274.

Tracy now will require a full or partial corneal transplant. At trial, the plaintiff argued that the medical standard of care required Dr. Golden to perform either a re-lifting of the original LASIK flap or a surface treatment.

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In a lawsuit resulting in a Cook County jury verdict, it was alleged by plaintiff Ryan Drummond that in August 2004, the defendant, Dr. Robert Brossard, a radiologist, chose not to correctly interpret x-rays of Drummond’s right hand. In addition, it was claimed that Dr. Brossard missed a fracture of the carpal bone of that same right hand. As a result of the doctor’s miss, Drummond was improperly treated with splinting for a sprain.

The fracture was later diagnosed on subsequent x-rays on Sept. 21, 2004. By that time, the window of opportunity for surgery to reduce the fracture had passed.

Drummond, 46, was a truck driver and sustained a nonunion of the trapezium, deformity to the base of the thumb, collapsed web space and development of severe arthritis. Drummond will need future arthroplasty surgery, which will mean a lengthy rehabilitation program.

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A jury has found that a skilled nursing home was negligent in choosing not to detect a dislocated right hip of one of its residents. One of the patients, P.G., 85, was admitted to the nursing home on a short-term basis following her right hip replacement surgery. P.G. was a fall risk, meaning she was noted in the records to be at greater risk of falling on scale. The practice of assessing nursing home resident’s propensity for falling is standard practice and required.

About two weeks after admission to the skilled nursing unit, the resident’s sister came to visit and noticed that her sister, P.G., was in pain and unable to bear weight on her leg. It was then that an X-ray showed P.G.’s dislocated right hip.

As a result, emergency surgery was required to remove P.G.’s hip prosthesis from her earlier hip replacement. P.G. was confined to a wheelchair for several months until she was able to undergo the revision surgery. Recovery has been slow, and P.G. has not been able to return to her home.

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The Missouri Supreme Court has found that the statute that limits noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases to $350,000 unlawfully infringes on a jury’s constitutional right to determine the amount of damage that a person has sustained from medical negligence.

In this Missouri case, Deborah Watts filed suit for medical negligence against the hospital and others alleging that her son suffered catastrophic brain injuries because of hospital and medical providers’ negligence. Ms. Watts went to Cox Medical Center at 39 weeks of pregnancy after she felt cramping and decreased fetal movement. No diagnostic tests were completed, and she was sent home. When she returned two days later, she was this time placed on a fetal heart tracing monitor. More than an hour later, her son Naython was delivered by Caeserean section. Unfortunately, Naython suffered catastrophic brain injuries.

The jury awarded $1.45 million in noneconomic damages and $3.371 million in future medical damages. However, because of the Missouri statute capping noneconomic damages, the trial judge reduced the noneconomic award to $350,000. Ms. Watts appealed, arguing that the statute violates the right to trial by jury and other violations of the state constitution.

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A new study shows that shoulder dislocation in older patients is more likely to be overlooked or misdiagnosed than among younger patients. The study warned that older patients whose shoulder injuries are not treated can face years of persistent pain and disability.

Published in the October 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the study examines the differences in dislocation injuries between older and younger patients. It also suggests an approach to evaluate older patients that could help improve diagnosis and management of related injuries.

The study’s lead author is Dr. Anand Murthi. He says understanding the very different ways shoulder dislocation can affect patients over 40 years of age is the first step in making an accurate diagnosis of dislocation-related injuries. Older patients are more likely to experience injury to the rotator cuff, which is the group of tendons, ligaments and other structures that help give the shoulder its range of motion, Dr. Murthi explained. He said this happens because the rotator cuff tissue becomes weaker and more brittle with aging and tears more easily.

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A consortium of 55 hospitals in the New York region has launched a campaign to aggressively identify sepsis for early treatment. Hospital administrators say the campaign is needed because sepsis, a leading cause of death in hospitals, can at first look like less serious ailments.

The new campaign was recently highlighted in a story published by the New York Times. The Times story focused on Rory Staunton, 12, who suffered what seemed like a minor cut on his arm while diving for a basketball during a gym class. The P.E. director at his school applied Band-aids to the cut, and Rory went about his normal routine. That night, he told his parents about the incident in the gym, did his homework and went to bed.

The next day, he started vomiting, spiked a high fever and reported pain in his leg. His parents brought him to a pediatrician, who referred him to the emergency room at NYU Langone Medical Center, where he was treated for upset stomach and dehydration. Doctors prescribed fluids and Tylenol and sent the boy home.

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The Illinois Appellate Court affirmed a trial judge’s decision in a medical negligence claim brought by Kathleen Smeilis. She developed a progressive neurological condition called cauda equina syndrome, which requires prompt surgical treatment to prevent permanent nerve damage.

In this case, Ms. Smeilis was admitted to Glenbrook Hospital in August 1999 and then transferred to a nursing home operated by Dr. Lipkis, the defendant. Lipkis personally examined Ms. Smeilis for the first time on Aug. 14, 1999. No unusual neurological activity was found until she was transferred back to Glenbrook Hospital four days later. Ms. Smeilis was then transferred to Evanston Hospital for immediate surgery. She suffered permanent nerve damage because she was not immediately diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome.

In 2001, the plaintiff and her husband brought a negligent lawsuit against Glenbrook Hospital, Dr. Lipkis and several others. They relied on the expert testimony of a neurosurgeon, Gary Skaletsky, M.D., who testified that Ms. Smeilis should have had surgery by Aug. 10, 1999, to avoid the neurological damage. In September 2007, after the discovery was completed, all defendants, except Dr. Lipkis, settled with Ms.

Smeilis and her husband for $3.2 million, and the case against those defendants was voluntarily dismissed. In October 2007, Ms. Smeilis and her husband filed a new complaint against Dr. Lipkis and his corporation alleging that he was the proximate cause of Ms. Smeilis’s injury.

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In November 2003, the defendant R.A. was driving while intoxicated on Route 173 in Spring Grove, Ill. He apparently fell asleep, crossed the center line and crashed head-on into the car occupied by L.M., who was a passenger. L.M. was airlifted to Rockford Memorial Hospital where he remained in intensive care for two months. He suffered numerous injuries, including broken ribs, lung contusion, a lacerated spleen and a stroke after the splenectomy surgery to remove his damaged spleen.

While L.M., age 56, was in intensive care, he developed a large Stage IV bed sore on his lower back. The ulcer had to be debrided and a bilateral flap procedure was done to cover the skin opening.
L.M. was an unemployed truck driver. He died prior to the trial, although no wrongful death claim was brought. His wife claimed loss of consortium, which is the spouse’s right of action for the missing love and affection that comes with companionship and marriage.

At the time of the crash, L.M. and three friends were driving to a fishing trip. The driver of the vehicle was killed and all three passengers, including L.M., were seriously injured.

The defendant R.A., age 46, admitted negligence and pled guilty to felony DUI charges, including reckless homicide. He served 5 ½ months in jail and 5 ½ years of probation. He had been drinking at an off-track betting facility operated by defendant Quad City Downs. The family of L.M. filed a lawsuit under the Illinois Dramshop Act against Quad City Downs and a separate medical malpractice claim against Rockford Memorial Hospital, alleging that it was negligent in not taking proper take care of L.M.’s bed sore.

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In 2007, Y.H., an 11-year-old child, was admitted to the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago. He was vomiting and had a history of propionic acidemia, an inborn metabolic disorder that causes acids to accumulate in the body and can lead to brain damage and heart problems.

Children with propionic acidemia may not survive to adulthood, but survival is varied. Y.H. was managed since infancy by a pediatric geneticist and was doing well as a fifth grader.

The defendant, 28-year-old Dr. Jain, was a third-year resident in pediatrics at the University of Illinois Medical Center when she first saw Y.H. She did a history, physically examined him and consulted with another pediatric geneticist to work out a plan of care.

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